1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to conditioning air and, more specifically, to conditioning air more efficiently using the principles of evaporative cooling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to cool air by flowing the air over an evaporator comprising a set of tubes carrying a refrigerant. The heat is transferred from the air to the refrigerant to cool the air. The refrigerant then passes through a compressor and is compressed into a superheated vapor. The heat must be rejected out of the refrigerant before it can be used to cool additional air. Typically, the heat is rejected into the atmosphere by transferring to ambient air flowing over a condenser comprising a set of tubes carrying the superheated refrigerant vapor. As the refrigerant cools, it condenses back into a liquid. These tubes are referred to as condensing tubes. However, since this system requires energy, continuing attempts have been made to increase the cooling efficiency and reduce the energy required. One such example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,101 to Levitin et al., which teaches evaporating water from a series of rods upstream of a condenser. When the air passes over the rods, heat is transferred to the water, causing it to evaporate and thereby reducing the temperature of the airstream. The air entering the condenser is cooler and therefore able to receive more heat from the superheated refrigerant, which reduces the energy consumption of the air conditioner. However, the assembly of Levitin is bulky and requires the use of extra components, such as the rods.